


Neurostim II

by ElegantButler



Category: Max Headroom - Fandom
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 22:46:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18108041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElegantButler/pseuds/ElegantButler
Summary: After their failure to take over Network 23, two Zik Zak employees attempt to use their resources to attempt revenge against Edison's team.





	Neurostim II

Max Headroom

Neurostim II

 

In the dimly lit Boardroom of the London office of the Zik Zak Corporation, Chen and Kelly were not happy with recent events. The Serendipity Project had been a complete failure.  Edison Carter , Network 23’s star reporter, had thwarted Zik Zak’s attempt to take over the network with a carefully timed report which had exposed the megacorporation’s short-sightedness.

 

“Carter got out of our clutches thanks to his resourcefulness,” Kelly remarked.

 

“It wasn’t Carter’s resourcefulness that saved him,” Chen corrected him. “It was Cheviot’s pet genius. Pity there isn’t a way we can get to him.”

 

“On the contrary,” Kelly told him. “We do have a way.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Chen replied. “What do you mean?”

 

“You remember Mr. Carter’s little run-in with Neurostim?” Kelly prompted.

 

“I remember they overrode it with help from that accursed Max Headroom.”

 

“They wouldn’t have been able to override it completely,” Kelly explained. “Not without turning Edison into Max Headroom. They had to leave a fragment to maintain Edison’s original mind.”

 

“Which means…” Chen finally saw where this was going.

 

“Which means we still have a modicum of control over Carter. All we need to do is wait until he’s in an impressionable state of mind. In other words, when he’s had a bit to drink.”

 

“And then what?” Chen asked, losing the thread again. “He attacks that pretty controller of his?”

 

“He’s hit a controller before,” Kelly explained. “Yes, his current controller being a female would make it worse. But Miss Jones is quite a fighter. She’d simply ground him with a right hook and quit.”  He unlocked the door to Ped Xing’s office and went inside, turning on the computer and quickly obtaining tier-two access. “Our target is Bryce Lynch.”

  
  


*****

  


“I told you no, Edison,” Theora said, firmly. “And I don’t think you should have any more of that,” she took the small wine glass from Edison’s hand and set it down on a table that was laden with discarded drinks and plates filled with hors d'oeuvres that those attending the Network 23 annual employee gathering had decided were not to their liking.

 

“Hey!” Edison protested. A thought nagged at him. It was a nasty thought, so he squashed it down.

 

“Theora!” a male voice called out to her from somewhere in the crowd.

 

Edison traced it and saw the man Theora had once had the kind of relationship Carter wished she would have with him. Fine. If she was going to play games, let her. He was Edison Carter. Network 23’s most famous reporter. He could have anyone he wanted.

 

He slipped away from the party and soon found himself on Level 13. Entering the door code, he slipped inside.

 

As the party had been going on for a few hours, it was late, and Bryce was already in bed, sleeping.

 

That would make things easier.

 

~No,~ some part of his mind was saying. ~this isn’t right! Go home!~

 

Edison sat down on the bed and reached down to caress Bryce’s face. Bryce let out a little whimper of protest and moved his hand as though swatting a fly.

 

~Bryce is your best friend,~ he protested his own actions as he leaned down and placed a kiss on Bryce’s slightly parted lips.

 

Bryce’s eyes flew open and he was suddenly very much awake.

 

“Did you just kiss me?!” he demanded in shock.

 

Edison heard himself say words that disgusted him.

 

“Theora won’t put out, so you have to.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bryce said, angrily, “but I don’t have to do anything.”

 

~Good for you, Bryce~ the sane part of Edison’s mind thought as his body pinned Bryce down. ~Why am I doing this?!~

 

“Edison, get off me!” Bryce demanded. He had no idea why Edison was acting the way he was. But he remember something from the Academy. Young geniuses were often sought after by childless couples who would sometimes go as far as trying to kidnap them. So he and his classmates had been taught how to defend themselves against such an eventuality.

 

He brought his knee up into Edison’s groin as hard as he could. Edison rolled over, clutching himself in pain while Bryce sprang up, ran across the room, and locked himself in the bathroom.

 

“Let me in, damn you,” Edison demanded, while his sanity inwardly praised Bryce’s cleverness.

 

“No,” Bryce said, angrily, as he pulled his bathroom computer around to face the sink. Tapping into it, he sent a message to Max. As the computer and TV systems were interconnected, this was very easy to do.

 

Urgent. Call security. Edison Carter acting very inappropriately. Not behaving within normal Edison Carter parameters. Send notice to Murray and Theora.

 

“So, what what what does Normal Edison param-am-ameters mean?” Max asked, appearing on the computer in Bryce’s studio.

 

Rather than reply to him, Edison finally forced the bathroom door open and grabbed Bryce by the hair.

 

“Now, get back on the damned bed,” Edison demanded. ~Where is security? Bryce just sent Max after them. If he’s already back they can’t be far. Come on you guys, arrest me. Put me somewhere that I can’t hurt him!~

 

“I would be in bed, sound asleep I might add, if you hadn’t barged in here and started acting like a jerk.” Bryce retorted as Edison shoved him onto the bed and pinned him down with a knee while he began drunkenly fumbling with his belt buckle.

 

The door to the bedroom alcove flew open and two security guards rushed in along with Murray and Theora.

 

“Edison! What the hell are you doing?!” Murray demanded as the guards pulled Edison away from Bryce.

 

~Finally,~ Edison thought. ~Bryce, please forgive me. I am so sorry.~

 

Theora was glaring daggers at him, and given what it appeared he was trying to do, Edison didn’t blame her.

 

Bryce scrambled to his feet, a look of anger and confusion on his face.

 

“Why, Edison?” he demanded. “I thought we were friends!”

 

“Call the police, Murray,” Theora demanded.

 

“Wait a minute,” Murray said. “It’s not that simple. We have to consider how this is going to affect Network 23.”

 

“He just tried to rape him!” Theora snapped. “I couldn’t care less about Network 23.”

 

Bryce calmed himself, then spoke.

 

“Murray’s right,” he said. “This will have an impact on Network 23. And I think whoever set this up knows that.”

 

“Set this up?” Murray muttered.

 

“This isn’t normal behavior for Edison,” Bryce told him. “I think whoever is behind this expected me to be too upset to realize that.”

 

“You mean someone is trying to break up this team,” Theora said.

 

“Exactly,” Bryce said. He turned to the guards. “Bring him to Dr. Duncan’s office and have him sedated. I want to run a scan on his brain to see if I can find the anomaly.”

 

“Just do it,” Murray sighed.

 

The more senior of the two guards nodded and they dragged Edison off to the medical level.

  



End file.
